Anarky (Origins)

Anarky (Origins)

“The first person to don the identity of “Anarky,” Lonnie Machin, is The Joker’s biological son. He possesses a genius-level intellect, and is particularly skilled at computer hacking.”

Lonnie Machin’s mother was a showgirl named Greta Mitchell. Greta gave up Lonnie when he was a baby. His adoptive parents were Mike and Roxanne Machin. Mike recognized that there was something special about Lonnie. Lonnie possessed inquisitive mind and was incredibly bright. Mike would often take Lonnie to bookstores to feed his insatiable interest in all subjects especially philosophy.

Angered by the power and corruption of corporations, governments, and elites of the world, 12-year old Lonnie Machin donned a costume that increased his height and took to the streets as Anarky. Anarky assaulted several CEO’s and celebrities, leaving the spray painted circle-A as his calling card. Batman soon identified the assailant, from clues in a Gotham City newspaper that foreshadowed Anarky’s crimes. Following a riot Anarky encouraged among the homeless, Batman apprehended him, astonished to discover that Anarky was just a boy. Machin was incarcerated at the Gotham Juvenile Corrections Hall. Machin later became the computer hacker “Moneyspider”, and transferred millions of dollars from the accounts of wealthy corporations to Third World countries.

Batman’s partner, Robin, determined Moneyspider’s link to Anarky, and Machin’s plans for global change were thwarted. Realizing he required greater funds to continue his mission, he created a front corporation, “Anarco”, to sell anarchist books online. Through shrewd marketing, Anarky amassed a small fortune to the tune of 5 million dollars. With his new funds, and knowledge of ground breaking sciences, he built a special device of his own creation.

The machine fused the two sides of his brain, increasing his intelligence to superhuman levels. It also communicated with him and helped him control most of his tech via voice communication. With his artificially enhanced intelligence boosted by a multiple of ten, he studied various martial arts, integrating them with his mind into a smooth fighting style of his own invention.

After moving his base of operations to Washington D.C., Anarky learned that he may have been adopted and that his natural mother was possibly a Vegas showgirl and his father was potentially the Joker. This only furthered Anarky’s resolve to wreak havoc on the industrialized world, in the hope of triggering worldwide revolution. However, once Joker confirmed their connection, Anarky disappeared, presumably to rediscover himself.

Anarky’s D.C. base was an intricate system of tunnels beneath and connected to the Washington Monument. The tech within rivaled that of the Batcave, including but not limited to a giant computer and a mini garage of tricked-out vehicles.

Despite his criminal history with Earth’s defenders, most notably Batman, Anarky has taken it upon himself to fight alongside heroes including Green Arrow, Robin, Green Lantern, and the Justice League. However, because heroes typically do not support his goals, he often finds himself alone in his battles, and as such has faced the likes of Ra’s al Ghul, The Demon, and even the tyrannical Darkseid, on his own. He has also gained the attention of the US Federal Government, which has conspired in the past to eliminate him as a threat.

During the Batman R.I.P. story arc, while patrolling the streets of Gotham, Robin is followed by a new Red Robin. Tim at first suspects Jason Todd, who last wore that costume, but Jason tells him that he threw the costume away. Tim later goes back to Jason to interrogate him further, but as a fight ensues between Robin and Jason, the whole thing is revealed as a trap set up by Ulysses, who has taken the guise of Red Robin. It is later revealed that Ulysses is now working for none other than Anarky, who was the true master-mind behind the Red Robin ambush.

Robin and Red Robin clash a few more times, ending with Tim being able to take the costume from him. Anarky continued to manipulate the forces of Gotham, and used them to sow discord and make things harder for Robin. When Tim almost dies in an explosion, leaving his face wounded, he returns to the Batcave and uses his computer program to realize that not only is Anarky behind the goings-on in Gotham, but a new person is behind the mask. Putting on the Red Robin cowl, and claiming the moniker for himself, he goes to confront the new Anarky, actually Ulysses.

Ulysses was no match for Tim’s fighting skills and Tim easily beat him but Ulysses had one last bomb plated, it was located in a mail box but little did he know that officer Harper had brought Ulysses’s family to calm him down, their car stopped right next to the mail box and when Ulysses get the bomb off Tim managed to save Harper but not Ulysses’s little brother and sister, Ulysses blames Robin for their deaths.

After being saved by Red Robin, Machin is placed in Dr. Thompkins’ care while he tries to overcome his coma which was induced by Ulysses. Tim’s next assignment takes him to Russia where a Russian economist named Viktor Mikalek is using Dr. Sivana’s Unthernet. Before Darkseid’s death, he had corrupted the Unthernet so that any user will act on their darkest fantasies thereby encouraging them to reenact their violent tendencies in the real world but now supervillains use it as a communications grid amongst each other. Moneyspider discovered all of this when he entered the Unternet. Anarky assisted Tim Drake as well as digital versions of the Teen Titans by helping them destroy the control that Calculator and Viktor Mikalek had over the Unternet. However, it seems that Lonnie has left a digital version of Anarky in the Unternet and there is no telling what Lonnie may be up to since the Unternet enhances your darkest desires as well as your baser instincts.